Frisbee Diplomacy

Young Pioneer Tours is one of the few companies taking tourists into the northern part of North Korea.  This part of the country is less developed than the area around Pyongyang and, perhaps, gives a more realistic view of life in North Korea where farming is done with hand tools and the roads are unpaved.  One tour participant was surprised by the number of ox carts she saw from the window of their tour bus so she started counting.  She stopped when she got to 200. Apparently the ox cart is still the major form of transportation in this area, much as it was in rural South Korea in the 1950s.

One of the major disappoints for the group was their prohibition from interacting with the citizens of the region.  One large Australian man was particularly upset with this policy and even had a few words with the North Korean guides to no avail.

One of the attractions for the guests was a visit to a spa.  As the others entered the spa the large Aussie held back.  Soon there was a regular ruckus outside the spa that brought the tourists outside to investigate.  To their surprise their Aussie friend and the entire local villager were engaged in a rousing game of frisbee while the North Korean guides looked on in dismay.  At the conclusion of the game the Aussie approached a man who seemed to be a village leader, bowed politely, and presented the frisbee.  A moment the villagers, no doubt, will be talking about for awhile.

There is a saying in India, "do what you can with what you have".  Not too far from that village, on the Chinese side of the border, an 80 year-old South Korean minister and his wife run a small farm.  Rev. Han has written several books on sustainable agriculture.  He welcomes North Koreans who can travel to China to visit his farm and learn how to build warm shelters out of readily available inexpensive materials and how to grow small sustainable gardens in the harsh climate of northern Korea.  His belief is that relief from the hunger in North Korea must come from within.  Outside aid is not a sustainable solution.

My own interest in the division of Korea started at an early age.  My family came to Korea in 1955, just two years after the end of the Korean War.  Here is an excerpt from my book that explains my introduction to the issue:

"Shortly after our arrival in Korea in 1955, my father heard of a Christian woman who had been imprisoned as a communist sympathizer.  Her husband, as far as anyone knew, was in North Korea.  She had collaborated with the North Koreans during the war in order to save her family.  After the war that same family turned her in to the authorities.  Abandoned by her family and barely able to walk because of the torture she had endured during her imprisonment.  Kimsi was released from prison into my father's custody.  Although Kimsi was employed as a domestic helper, a common practice so that missionary women could participate in the work of the mission, she became a part of our family and remained with us until we left Korea (1967).  She was my mother's right arm and a second mother to us children."

In more recent years I have followed events in North Korea in the news as well as through reports from former missionaries who have visited North Korea and worked for reunification in Korea.  One group that visits Korea on a regular basis to provide medical and nutritional support is Christian Friends of Korea.  Their website is: cfk.org

Helping Hands Korea is an organization that helps North Korean Refugees : www.helpinghandskorea.org/

The tour group is:  www.youngpioneertours.com/

If you are interested in my book about acculturation and the Korea missionary experience you can find it at: www.kirkhouse.com/Books/An_Intricate_Tapestry

Remember to do what you can with what you have